A two-year-old partnership between LeadingAge and UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is creating myriad opportunities to bring a diverse group of new leaders to organizations that provide long-term services and supports (LTSS) to older adults while also building the capacity of leadership teams in those organizations. The partnership, launched in 2021, is called the HBCU-LTSS Careers Initiative.

UNCF is a leading advocate for minority education and community engagement and the nation’s largest provider of private scholarships to minority group members. It works with a network of 37 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and each year awards more than 10,000 student scholarships worth over $100 million.

“We are thrilled to be working with LeadingAge on this initiative,” says Mary Williams, director, UNCF Outreach. “We firmly believe that our partnership will advance the goals of both LeadingAge and UNCF by creating meaningful career opportunities for students and graduates of HBCUs and minority-serving institutions (MSI), improving racial and ethnic diversity in the LTSS field, especially in mid- and senior-level positions, and helping provider organizations retain quality team members and address workforce challenges.”

A Pressing Need for Diversity

The partnership between LeadingAge and UNCF comes at a time when LTSS providers are focusing on improving the diversity of their workforce and resident/client populations.

The mid- and executive-level workforce of LeadingAge provider members often does not reflect the population of professional caregivers employed by these organizations. Nationally, half of frontline professional caregivers are nonwhite, and this percentage is substantially higher in many LTSS communities. In contrast, mid- and executive-level managers and board members are predominately white.

In 2021, the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston surveyed LeadingAge multi-site organizations and life plan communities. Researchers found that, on average, 12% of senior leaders and 12% of board members in member organizations are people of color. In addition, a 2020 study by Marvell Adams Jr., CEO of the Caregiver Action Network, showed that only three of the 200 CEOs at the largest LeadingAge providers are people of color.

The population of residents and clients served by LeadingAge provider members also needs more diversity. This is due, in part, to the fact that individuals who belong to minority populations are less likely to use formal support services and are more likely to be cared for by family and friends.

“Attracting a diverse resident population is critical from a moral and business perspective as the number of older adults from nonwhite populations is expected to rise in the coming decades,” says LeadingAge President & CEO Katie Smith Sloan. “The LTSS sector also must recruit, support, promote, and retain a diverse group of mid- and senior-level employees who understand and appreciate the richness of our multicultural society and reflect the future racial and ethnic makeup of our residential communities. We believe our partnership with UNCF will help us move closer to achieving these goals.” 

Two Areas of Focus

The HBCU-LTSS Careers Initiative focuses on two primary activities: laying the groundwork for an Aging Services Diversity Fellowship Program and encouraging partnerships between providers of aging services, HBCUs, and MSIs.

Aging Services Diversity Fellowship Program: LeadingAge and UNCF are working to establish an employer-based fellowship program that could provide a fast track for individuals with high potential who want to enter the field of aging services.

The one-year Aging Services Diversity Fellowship Program will be designed for recent graduates of master’s programs or mid-career professionals with five or more years of experience in their chosen work area. Fellows will serve as full-time employees in mid-level, non-clinical positions at provider organizations and receive a competitive salary and employer-designated benefits. They will apply their transferrable skills to a wide variety of disciplines within provider organizations.

Six to eight fellows will participate in a pilot to test the fellowship program’s design and implementation. LeadingAge is currently working to secure funds to support the Aging Services Diversity Fellowship Program.

Encouraging Partnerships: The HBCU-LTSS Careers Initiative also focuses on helping LeadingAge members develop partnerships with HBCUs and MSIs that will benefit students, educational institutions, and employers seeking to connect with high-quality, diverse applicants and strengthen and build their organizational capacity.

Specifically, UNCF and LeadingAge are encouraging providers of aging services to work with HBCUs and MSIs to provide students with information about and access to career pathways in the field of aging services. This can be accomplished through:

• Paid Internships that introduce HBCU/MSI students to the field of aging services and the world of providers.
• Provider/faculty partnerships to develop curricula that will prepare students for careers in aging services.
• Engagement opportunities that allow leaders of provider organizations to introduce HBCU/MSI students to the LTSS sector.
• Fellowship programs that offer HBCU/MSI graduates and alumni opportunities to pursue careers in aging services.
• Leadership and management programs, certifications, and credentials tailored to the aging services field and offered by HBCUs and MSIs.

Several LeadingAge members are collaborating with HBCUs and MSIs to provide opportunities for students to work and learn about the aging services sector. Check out these examples.

Partners in the HBCU-LTSS Careers Initiative

Historically Black Colleges and Universities
*Benedict College, Columbia, SC
*Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC
*Dillard University, New Orleans, LA
Edward Waters University, Jacksonville, FL
*Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
*Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC
Spellman College, Atlanta, GA
Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL
Voorhees College, Denmark, SC
Xavier University, New Orleans, LA

Minority-Serving Institutions
University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore County, MD
University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA

Aging Services Organizations
A.G. Rhodes in Atlanta, GA
Aldersgate in Charlotte, NC
The Kendal Corporation, based in Kennett Square, PA
Presbyterian Senior Living, based in Dillsburg, PA
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, based in Southfield, MI
Seabury Resources for Aging in Washington, DC
Visiting Nurse Health System, based in Atlanta, GA
Volunteers of America, based in Alexandria, VA
United Church Homes, based in Marion, OH
National Church Residences, based in Upper Arlington, OH
Friends Services Alliance, based in Blue Bell, PA

* Members of the HBCU-LTSS Careers Initiative Advisory Board